The Quest for Self-Determination and the State in Ethiopia: The Oromo Popular Uprising of 2014–2017 in Historical Perspective

Abstract

Abstract This article seeks to place the Oromo popular uprising of 2014–2017 into a deeper historical context. It traces the origins of the uprising through various landmarks in the Oromo national struggle for self-determination and turning points in the history of Ethiopia's state-making projects. In understanding the relationship between attempts at state construction and the determined opposition it encountered, the article emphasizes the dramatic changes that unfolded between the close of the nineteenth century and the political transition that was triggered in 2018. Although recognizing Ethiopia's long-ranging political intricacies, this article argues that the Oromo popular uprising of 2014-17 demonstrates the peak of decades of struggles for inclusion, recognition, self-rule, and equality that have mainly resulted from the Ethiopian state's cyclical violence and rejection of demands for reform.